Axel Oxtenstierna

Axel Oxtenstierna (16 June 1583-28 August 1654) was Lord High Chancellor of Sweden from 1612 to 1654, succeeding Svante Turesson Bielke and preceding Erik Oxtenstierna.

Biography
Axel Oxtenstierna was born in Fano, Uppland, Sweden on 16 June 1583, the son of a major family in Swedish politics. In 1606, he undertook his first diplomatic mission to Mecklenburg and other German royal courts, and he was appointed to the Privy Council in recognition of his services. In 1610, he unsuccessfully attempted to prevent war with Denmark, but Denmark invaded Sweden a year later in the "Kalmar War". King Gustavus Adolphus, who became King in 1612, appointed Oxtenstierna Lord High Chancellor, and Oxtenstierna's controlling, organizing hand became apparent in every branch of the administration. In 1613, he negotiated peace with Denmark, and he was knighted in 1617, having been awarded with numerous other honors due to his successes as Chancellor. In 1623, he negotiated a peace with Poland-Lithuania, but the war resumed in 1626, and Oxtenstierna was appointed Governor-General of Prussia during the war. The Prussian capital of Elblag (Elbing), where Oxtenstierna resided and from which he governed Prussia, became a major Swedish center of power, second only to Stockholm.

During the Thirty Years' War, Oxtenstierna played a crucial role in financing Sweden's military adventures, including obtaining credits from foreign businessmen to pay for Sweden's mercenaries. In 1632, following Gustavus Adolphus' death at the Battle of Lutzen, Oxtenstierna became supreme commander of all Swedish troops in Germany, and he devolved control of the military situation to his generals. He then headed Queen Christina of Sweden's regency council, preparing the young queen for her reign. Oxtenstierna succeeded in ensuring that Sweden remained in the Thirty Years' War even after the disastrous First Battle of Nordlingen in 1634; Swedish troops would remain in Germany until the end of the Thirty Years' War in 1648. In 1643, Oxtenstierna also instigated the "Torstenson War" with Denmark to gain territories from Denmark and be released from the Danish "Sound Dues" tariffs. In 1644, the Danish navy was destroyed by the Swedes, leaving Denmark proper open to Swedish invasion. In 1645, Denmark agreed to cede Gotland, Saaremaa, Jamtland, Harjedalen, and Halland to Sweden, ending the war in a Swedish victory.

Oxtenstierna and Christina would become rivals after Christina came of age to rule by herself, and Oxtenstierna blamed her for Sweden's limited gains during the Thirty Years' War; Sweden only gained Swedish Pomerania and some northern German towns. He was initially opposed to her abdication in 1654, but he later came to support the future Charles X Gustav of Sweden and aided Christina during the process. He died months after Charles X Gustav came to power.